New York Yankees all-star catcher Gary Sanchez has not gotten off to a great start this year, now he’s getting some rest.
New York Yankees’ struggling catcher Gary Sanchez is getting some time to rest, as manager Aaron Boone plans to sit him the next two games.
With Gray pitching tomorrow, Sanchez will be off again, making it three straight days. Sanchez said the break will be “good” for his body, especially his calf. Said break has more to do with that than his slump
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) June 12, 2018
With Monday off, Sanchez found himself out of the Yankees lineup Tuesday night against the Nationals. A surprising move considering Sanchez’s last at-bat against the Mets Sunday night. Sanchez hit a hard line drive, but it was right at Mets’ third baseman Todd Frazier.
Sanchez is hitting .190 with 12 home runs, and 35 RBI. If you dive into the numbers, they look even worse. In his last seven games, Sanchez is hitting .069. He’s hitting .075 in his last 15 games, and .178 in his last 30. He hasn’t hit a home run since May 19, where he hit two of them in a game against Kansas City.
The timing is perfect to give Sanchez a couple of mental days. Austin Romine has done a nice job swinging the bat of late. He’s hitting at a .372 clip with four home runs in his last 15 games. Romine also is the personal catcher for Wednesday’s starter Sonny Gray.
Boone also mentioned that the break is more of a break for Sanchez’s calf, which has been bothering him lately. The daily grind of being an MLB catcher has a lot to do with that, and if his calf has anything to do with his slump, the rest should help.
The Yankees need Sanchez to return to the form he was when he took baseball by storm the last two seasons. The player that hit 55 home runs in his first career 175 games, including a stretch where he 20 home runs in 53 games.
Sanchez is still on pace to hit 30 home runs, but right now the at-bats don’t even look competitive. The rest should help the 25-year-old, but if not, the Yankees might be in big trouble.
